A Sorta Faerytale
by WaywardDaughter18
Summary: A college professor of mythology and folklore gets asked to help out the Winchesters and Bobby Singer on a case. She wants to join them, but how involved will she end up getting?
1. Chapter 1

A SORTA FAERYTALE

SUMMARY: A college professor of mythology and folklore gets asked to help out the Winchesters and Bobby Singer on a case. She wants to join them, but how involved will she end up getting?

There was a knock on my door. I could see a the shape of a person wearing a baseball cap through the frosted glass window of the door.

I walked over and opened the door a crack.

"I'm sorry, my office hours don't start for another 20 minutes. Come back later."

I started to close the door, and a gruff voice said, "Open the damn door, ya idjit."

I threw the door open and gave the man a big grin. "What are you doing here, Mr. Singer?" I asked teasingly.

"I told ya I was gonna be comin' around to see you. We've got some questions for ya." he poked his thumb at the two tall men that were standing behind him.

I stepped back and waved them in. "Come on in, sorry about the clutter."

"Yeah, well, what's new?" Bobby said. We hugged and I kissed his cheek.

"How have you been, Bobby?" I asked him warmly.

"Can't complain. Been helpin' these two out."

I looked at the men. They were both tall. One was wearing a brown leather jacket, had short brown hair, and clear green eyes. The other guy was even taller. His hair was also brown, but darker and longer. He wore an olive green jacket that matched his eyes.

"That's Sam and Dean Winchester. They're the hunters I told ya about."

Sam was the taller one and Dean was wearing the leather jacket.

"This is Dr. Maeve O' Donnelly." Bobby told them. "I don't know if you boys remember her. When the three of you were real little, y'all stayed with me for a time. Maeve was 3, so I guess Sam was about 2, and Dean would've been 6. Back then she called herself May."

"Wait-" Sam looked at me. " _You_ were May? I thought...I thought that was just a dream or something."

"Oh wow, I remember now!" Dean said. "God, I thought you were a little pain in the ass. You wouldn't leave Sam alone, treated him like he was your baby doll."

"I remember!" I said, smiling. "He was so adorable! And you were jealous because he started following me around." I said to him. "You were mean to me, and ended up getting into trouble with Bobby!"

Sam raised his eyebrows and looked at Dean. "Really, Dean? You were so mean to a little girl that you got in trouble?"

"She really was a pain in the ass back then!" Dean said defensively. He looked at me.

"Doctor?" he said skeptically. "Aren't you a little young to be a doctor?"

"Aren't you a little tall to be a smartass?" I retorted.

Bobby and Sam both laughed.

"What are you a doctor of?" Dean persisted.

"Dean, you wanna be nice to her." Bobby said. "Not only does she have the largest collection of Eastern European folklore on the East Coast, she makes excellent pie. If ya keep it up, she ain't gonna invite us over to look at her library _or_ feed us."

"Pie, Dean." Sam said. "Behave, dude."

"For your information, Dean," I said, "I graduated from high school at 16 and went to college right away. And I've been working on degrees ever since."

"So you're an ultra- smart version of a book nerd like Sam. You two ought to get along well."

"Great." I said. "I love a good book nerd."

"And she's a damn good researcher, too." Bobby said to them.

"Their Dad was a hunter too." he told me. "John Winchester. I think he and your Dad hunted together a few times."

"Yes," I said. "He always talked about how John Winchester had this amazingly detailed journal."

"Yeah, we still use it." Sam said.

"Oh, do you think I could take a look at it? I'd love to see what's in there."

"Sure, no problem." Sam said.

"The boys'll have to tell ya about some of their hunts." Bobby said. "They got rid of a shtriga once."

"Really? Oh my gosh, that's wild."

I looked at all of them. "Well... what did you want to talk about?"

Sam glanced at Dean. "Well, we've been dealing with this case, we thought it was a vampire, but it's got some different elements. The victim becomes rich, for a while, before they die...and there's a black eggshell found at the scene of the death."

"I haven't heard of that. I'll have to look it up." I told him. "I don't know if I have anything here." I turned and walked to the bookshelf behind my desk. I had to lean over to get at some books on the lower shelf.

When I straightened and turned, Dean had a slight smirk on his face. Sam looked disapproving, and gave a slight shake of his head. Bobby smacked the back of Dean's head.

"Somebody checking out my ass?" I asked, arching my eyebrow.

Sam and Bobby looked embarassed. I took the books over to the desk and opened one. "Let's see." I glanced through the pages and held the book out. "Does this sound like what you're looking for?"

Sam stepped forward and took the book. He skimmed through the page. "Uh, no, not quite."

"Hmm..." I said. "Do you want to meet tonight? I've got class this afternoon, but my evening is free."

"All right." Bobby said. "How about we take ya to dinner first, pick your brain?"

"You sure about that? Most of my collegues get glazed eyes when I start talking folklore."

"That's what we're here for." Bobby said.

"Will I still be able to get pie?" Dean asked.

"We'll see if we can get pie at the restaurant, ya idjit." Bobby said to him.

"I'll have a couple of hours before we meet, I can make some pies. What do you like, Dean?"

"Uh, apple." he said.

"What kind of apple?"

He looked at me like, 'huh?'

"Do you want tart, or sweet? Granny Smith or Red Delicious?"

"Why don't we call it baker's choice, you get what you want." Bobby said. "Since you're goin' out of your way for us."

"Well, okay." I said. "Dean, you seem like a tart kind of guy."

He smirked at me. "You have no idea."

I grinned at him and raised my eyebrow.

Sam choked on a laugh and Bobby smacked the back of Dean's head again.

I walked back to the desk and picked up the books I had gotten off the shelf.

"Here," I gave them to Bobby. "You guys can look through these while you're waiting. Where and when do you want to meet?"

"What's good around here?" Dean asked.

"What kind of food do you want? Italian? Mexican? Indian? Japanese? Steak?"

We decided to met at a steakhouse. I looked up the address and Sam put it in his phone.

"Nice to meet you...again." he said as they walked out.

"See ya in a while, Maeve." Bobby said.

"Bye, 'Doc'." Dean said, with another smirk.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: This came out of nowhere, as a drabble. I didn't have any plans to continue it, but as I worked on it, I came up with a plot. Please let me know if you would like to see where the story goes.**


	2. Chapter 2

I walked into the restaurant and went up to the counter where the hostess stood.

"I'm meeting some friends-" I started to say, and someone touched my arm. I turned my head.

Bobby stood there. "It's about a 5 or 10 minute wait." he said. I followed him over to where Sam and Dean were standing.

"Hi," I said to them. Sam said, "Hey," and Dean nodded.

"How did class go?" Bobby asked.

"As well as 'Intro to Greek and Roman Myths and Legends' can go." I said. "Lots of freshmen."

A waitress came over to us holding a stack of menus.

"If you want to follow me-" she said. "Is a booth okay?"

"Sure," Bobby said. He let me go first. He sat next to me in the booth and the Winchesters sat on the other side.

"What can I get you to drink?" the waitress asked, handing out the menus.

"I'll have hot tea, please." I said, and the 3 men all ordered beer.

The waitress walked away and Sam pulled a folder out of his bag. He opened it and spread the papers out on the table.

"This shows the bite pattern," he handed me a photograph. "It's not like a regular vamp."

I looked at it. "You're right." I said. "Interesting. I've never seen this."

"Oh!" said the waitress, looking at the photos that were spread across the table. The ones on top were of the crime scene and there was a lot of blood in a couple of them.

She looked shocked.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Sam gathered everything up quickly and stuffed it in his bag. I handed him the photo.

Bobby looked up at the waitress. "Sorry ma'am. I guess detectives shouldn't talk shop in the middle of a restaurant." He lied smoothly.

"Oh, that's okay!" she laughed weakly. "I just wasn't expecting to see that."

"Sorry." Sam repeated.

After the waitress walked away, Bobby said, "Let's discuss the case when we get to Maeve's, that way we won't have to worry about people seeing or hearing anything."

"Fine with me." I said.

While we ate, the Winchesters told me about different hunts they had been on and the different kinds of creatures they had hunted, with Bobby chiming in every so often. I was fascinated. I had been a kid when my father hunted, and as I got older he gave me a little bit of information and let me do some research, but he kept a lot of the gorier details from me. It was interesting to hear about hunting from an adult perspective instead of a kid's.

At the end of the meal I reminded them that I had fresh baked pie at my place, so we paid the bill and decided that they would follow me back to my apartment.

"Bobby, you remember where I live, right?" I asked him outside the restautrant.

"You bet," he said.

I slid into my car and shut the door. The overhead light didn't come on. Uh-oh. I put the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine sputtered and then stopped.

"Don't do this now..." I said. I turned the key back and then forward again. The engine made the same sputtering sound and the dashboard lights lit up briefly. Then it went silent.

"Dammit!" I swore, frustrated.

I heard the low rumble of a car engine behind me, and looked in the rear view mirror. There was a sleek black car blocking me in. I got nervous for a moment, until the door opened and Dean stepped out. He walked over to me as I rolled down my window.

"Car trouble?" he asked.

"Sometimes it does this thing where it doesn't want to start." I said.

"I can take a look at it." he said. I heard a car door slam and then Bobby came over.

"Car won't start?" he asked.

"It's just being difficult." I said.

"We can look at it tomorrow if ya want." he said.

"Really, it's okay-"

"Look, kid, Dean and me are both mechanics, and we're both here for a coupla days, let us look at it. Dean'll give you a ride tonight and we can check your car over in the morning."

I sighed. "All right. Thanks. Here, can you help me?" I rolled up the window and then leaned over and picked up a stack of books and folders from the passenger seat.

I opened my door and stood up. "Here," I handed the stack to Dean, who said, "Oof." as he took it.

"Wait!" I said as they turned to walk away. I opened the back door and leaned in to grab a plastic milk crate and a messenger bag. I pulled them out and turned.

Bobby took the milk crate from me.

"What is all this, Maeve? It looks like you got half your office here." he said.

"I'm grading papers." I said.

"Oh, right, papers." he said, rolling his eyes. "There's a lot more stuff than papers in here!"

"Oh hush up, old man!" I said, and Dean laughed in surprise.

"That everything?" he asked.

"Yes. Oh wait, my purse." I opened the driver's side again and leaned in to get my purse.

We walked over to the black car and Dean opened the back door. He leaned in and said, "Here, take this."

Sam was in the back, and he took the stack of things Dean handed him. Bobby put the crate on the seat next to him and then I got in.

"What is all this stuff?" Sam asked.

Dean and Bobby got in and Dean put the car in gear.

"Wait." Bobby said, "Maeve, you _absolutely_ sure you got everything you need?"

"Yes, pretty sure."

He shook his head. "This girl is like Pig Pen, from Peanuts, except that instead of a cloud of dirt bein' around her, it's clutter." Bobby told Sam and Dean. They both chuckled.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" I said jokingly. "A cluttered desk is the sign of a creative mind."

"Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that." Bobby said. "Turn right here, Dean."

My second floor apartment was in one of those huge old houses that had been split up into apartments for students, since this was a college town. The men followed me up the stairs.

"Please excuse the mess." I said, unlocking the door. I pushed it open and they followed me in. "Just put the stuff down on the coffee table." I told them.

"Where?" Bobby asked, glancing around. The coffee table was stacked with different sized piles of books.

I leaned down and picked up a stack of books, slid them under the coffee table, and patted the now-empty spot. "Right here, Mr. Cranky Pants." I said. "Do any of you want coffee?"

"Sure," Bobby said, and Sam agreed.

"Got any beer or anything?" Dean asked.

"Not at the moment." I said. "I've got some Laphroigh if you're of a mind."

"Laph- what?" Dean asked.

"Whiskey from Scotland. Very smoky. They use peat when they make it."

"Oh, sure."

I went into the kitchen and started the coffee maker and poured a couple fingers of whiskey for Dean.

"So where's this pie?" he asked, as I handed him the glass.

"Impatient, aren't you?" I picked up a stack of books from the end of the sofa and handed them to him. "Here, put these somewhere."

"Where?" he asked, looking around.

"Any flat surface." I said.

"Everything is covered with books!" he said.

I sighed. "On the floor under the coffee table then." I said. "Help me out here, would ya?"

He sighed, shaking his head at me. "I thought Sam had a lot of books." he muttered.

"Hey, nothing wrong with owning a lot of books!" Sam said. He was standing in front of the book shelves, reading the titles on the spines.

"You've got some great books here, Maeve. Books I've read about but never seen, because they're out of print. Where did you get them?"

"A lot of these were my dad's," I said. "and he knew a guy who owned a bookstore who would look for things for him. He had a lot of connections, so he was able to track down some first editions and the like."

"Wow, first editions? Of what?"

"Mostly collections of myths and legends." I went back into the kitchen.

"Coffee's ready." I called to them. Sam and Dean came into the kitchen, and I became aware of just how tall they were, because my kitchen was very small, and they were both over 6 feet tall and broad shouldered. I felt tiny in comparison to them. Bobby walked in behind them and it got even more crowded.

I poured coffee into two teacups and handed them to Bobby and Sam.

"Do either of you take cream or sugar?" I asked. They both shook their heads.

"All right, let me cut this." I said. I took a pie off of the counter and sliced it up, then put a piece on a plate.

I handed it to Dean and his eyes lit up.

"That's what I'm talking about!" he said.

I handed slices to Bobby and Sam, and then got one for myself.

"Oh my God, this is good!" Dean said through a mouthful of pie.

"Yeah, it really is." Sam agreed.

"I told you boys." Bobby said. "Ain't you glad you behaved yourself, Dean?"

We took our pie and coffee into the living room and they sat down on the sofa. I perched on the edge of an armchair that had a huge pile of folders and papers on it.

Sam opened his bag again and got out the file folder. He spread out the photos again.

"Like I was saying, the bite pattern is different from any other vamp. We're not even sure if it is a vamp."

"Could it be a vetela?" I asked.

Dean shook his head. "They work in pairs."

"They do?" I was surprised.

He sighed. "Yeah, the lore that's out there is wrong. I guess it still hasn't filtered through the grapevine."

"Oh. Okay. And it's not a strigoi?"

Both Sam and Dean looked questioningly at me.

"Romanian vampire, a living witch with 2 hearts, drinks the blood of livestock and people. Also attack their family."

"Uh, no, that doesn't sound right." Sam said.

I stood up and went over to the bookshelf. "Let me look for this one book-" I paced in front of the shelf, glancing at the spines of the books.

"Wait-" I murmured, looking up at the top shelf. I glanced over at the footstool I used- of _course_ , it had a stack of folders balanced precariously on it. I shook my head at myself and stood on my tiptoes to try and get the book I wanted.

"It's wedged-" I said, my fingers trying to get a grip on the edge of the book.

I heard a voice behind me. "Let me help y-" Sam said, and I pulled the book out, and then gave a little shriek as the books on either side came flying out along with it. One of them banged on my shoulder as it fell. I turned around and looked up at Sam, who was standing there with a bemused expression on his face.

"I could have gotten that for you, you know." he said, reaching up to the top shelf effortlessly.

"Thank you, oh tall one." I said, rubbing my shoulder. "Next time I need something from the top of Mount Doom I'll be sure to call you." I handed him the book and then bent down to pick up the books that had fallen onto the floor. He bent down as well and picked up a couple of them.

"Do they go in any particular order?" he asked.

"Not really." I said.

He took the books out of my hands. "Let me put them back so that you don't hurt yourself again." He handed me the book I had given him, and I walked over and gave it to Bobby.

"Eastern European vampires and similar beings." I said. "See if there's something in there."

Bobby handed the book to Dean, who glanced at it and then held it up to Sam, who had walked over to stand next to me.

"Sam's the research guy. I'm looking for another piece of pie."

"All right." I took his plate. "Anyone else?" I went to the kitchen and got him another slice.

Sam sat down, thumbing through the book, and both he and Bobby declined.

I handed Dean his plate back and he nodded at me with a smile.

"None of the victims were pregnant?" I asked.

"No, why?" Dean said, frowning.

"There's a couple of Asian vampires that go after pregnant women almost exclusively."

"No, none of the victims were pregnant, as far as we know." Sam said absently. He looked up at me. "This book is very comprehensive."

"It's great, isn't it? I'm pretty sure that's an import from Europe."

Sam flipped to the front pages of the book. "Yeah, it is." He looked up at me again. "Where are these first editions?"

"I keep them in my bedroom, with my other treasures." I told him.

"Treasures?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, you know, my jewelry, my sexy lingerie, stuff like that." I was trying to make a joke, but I guess it fell flat, because all three of them just looked at me. Dean raised one eyebrow.

"Never mind." I said quickly. "What were you saying were the significant details about these cases?"

"Well, there was a black eggshell found at each scene, I think I mentioned that before." Sam said.

"Okay, that's something to go on. And you're sure it's a vamp?"

"Not 100 percent, but almost." Dean answered.

"Well, at least there's that detail, which is unusual. You guys can look through the books I lent you, and I can look through what I've got here. I don't mean to kick you out, but I do have grading I need to do before tomorrow."

Bobby stood up. "All right, Maeve, we'll get outta your hair." He leaned over and took Sam and Dean's plates, then walked into the kitchen and put them in the sink.

Dean stood up and Sam collected his papers and put them in his messenger bag.

As he stood he said, "I'd like to look at some of your first editions sometime."

"You have to get past Smaug, he guards the treasures in my bedroom." I said. Sam gave me a funny look, and I said, "Kidding! I'm kidding!"

Dean got out his car keys, which reminded me.

"Oh!" I said. "Let me give you my car key." I picked up my purse and searched through it, then handed it to Dean.

"Wait-" I said. "I might have put them- messenger bag-" I walked over and picked it up, then dug through the pockets.

"Lookin' for this?" Bobby held up my keyring.

"Yes!" I sighed. "Where did you find it?"

"On top of the mess in that milk crate." He rolled his eyes. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

"Whenever I'd go over to her Dad's house, there'd be a mess of books and papers all over when she was doing research. She always said she had a system, but me and her Dad could never tell what it was."

I took the keyring from him. "It's all in here." I tapped my head. "It was _my_ research, so why do you need to know the method to my madness?"

Bobby chuckled. "Madness is one way of putting it."

"Hey, if I recall, your house is full of books and messes too, mister!" I threaded the key off of the ring and handed it to Dean.

"You gonna need a ride in the morning, Maeve?" Bobby asked.

"No, I can take the shuttle. It stops right outside the apartment."

"Uh, can I put your purse down now?" Dean asked uncomfortably.

I laughed. "Oh, yeah, sorry!" I took it from him.

"Okay, then we'll call ya tomorrow about your car and maybe one of us can bring it over to the campus." Bobby told me.

"That's fine, whatever's easiest for you. I'll be there pretty much all day until late afternoon. Just call my cell."

"All right." Sam said. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks for the pie, it was awesome." Dean said.

"See ya, Maeve." Bobby said.

"Bye, guys." I called as they left the apartment.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this is still slow going...have to establish characters and all that...it will pick up soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

_FLASHBACK_

 _The little girl, May, appeared in the doorway of the library. "Unca Bobby," she said. "Baby's 'wake."_

" _All right, kid." he closed the book and stood up from the desk, leaning back and cracking his spine._

 _She followed him as he walked into the hallway. He stopped in the doorway of the living room. "Dean, your brother's awake." he told the small boy sitting in front of the t.v._

 _Dean stood up. "I would've heard him!" he said. He walked by May, ignoring her, and ran up the stairs. She followed behind Bobby, walking up slowly, her hand on the wall._

 _Two year old Sammy was indeed awake and standing up in the pack-n-play. He saw Dean and raised his arms, saying, "De!" happily._

 _The sides of the pack-n-play were too tall for Dean to reach in and get his brother, so he had to wait until Bobby came into the room. Bobby lifted the toddler out and put him on the bed that was in the room._

" _Let's get ya a clean diaper, kid." he said. Sam rolled over onto his stomach and started to scoot backwards off of the bed. Bobby put his hand on Sam's back. "Uh- uh, kiddo. Stay where I put ya."_

 _Dean climbed onto the bed. "I'll help you, Uncle Bobby. Hey, Sammy!"_

 _Sam rolled over onto his back, grinning up at Dean, and Dean tickled his neck. Sam kicked his feet and gurgled a loud laugh._

 _May tried to climb up onto the bed, but she was too small._

" _Me too!" she said._

" _No, you take yourself to the bathroom and go." Bobby told her. "Sam'll be here when ya get back."_

" _'Kay, Unca Bobby," she said, leaving the room._

 _Bobby changed Sam's diaper and handed the dirty one to Dean, who took it to the diaper pail that was in the bathroom. As May came out of the bathroom, he stuck his tongue out at her back. Sam was_ his _little brother, not May's, and she needed to stop paying so much attention to him._

 _The four of them went back down the stairs- Bobby first, in order to catch anyone that might fall. Sam went next, sitting down and scooting down each step on his bottom. Dean walked next to his brother, keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't fall. May went last, her hand on the wall, taking one step at a time. She wasn't tall enough to reach the railing._

" _Y'all want a snack?" Bobby asked them. It was the middle of the afternoon, and May and Sam had just woken up from their naps._

" _Yup," Sam said, and Dean and May both said, "Yes please."_

 _Bobby lifted Sam into the high chair in his kitchen- an item he never would have thought to see in his house. He moved the chair up to the table and Dean sat next to him._

 _Bobby turned and picked May up, who was struggling to climb up into a chair. He set her on the stack of books that was on the seat of the chair- he didn't have a booster seat, and May needed something to be able to see over the table._

 _Bobby poured a handful of Cheerios onto the high chair tray for Sam._

" _Apples and peanut butter crackers okay?" Bobby asked them._

 _He sliced an apple and gave May and Dean each half, making sure he divided it exactly. These kids had a little bit of a rivalry going, and would fuss if it was percieved that one got more than the other of something._

 _Bobby spread peanut butter on several crackers and then gave each kid four on a small plate._

" _Fank you." May said quietly. She chewed the apple peels off of the slices and spit the peel out into her hand._

" _Eww!" Dean said. "Spitting's gross."_

" _Like you never spit before, Dean." Bobby said. He had a feeling that Dean didn't like the little girl, but he wasn't sure why._

" _Don't wike the peel." May said. "Daddy say I don' hafta eat it."_

" _That's fine, May." Bobby told her._

" _Muh!" Sam said, slapping the high chair tray. "Muh Os!"_

 _Bobby gave him another handful of Cheerios and Sam grabbed a fistful and tried to cram them in his mouth._

" _One at a time, Sammy!" Dean said to him._

 _Sam looked at Dean, chewing what was in his mouth. Then he started to pick up each individual Cheerio and put it in his mouth. He had several tucked away in his cheeks before Bobby said, "All right, you're starting to look like a chipmunk. Eat what ya got in your mouth."_

 _Sam grinned at them open-mouthed, and a couple Cheerios fell out onto his shirt. Dean and May thought this was hilarious, and laughed, which made Sam laugh. When Sam laughed, more Cheerios sprayed out of his mouth, which made the kids laugh harder._

" _Y'all are the silliest bunch of rugrats," Bobby said, but he smiled at the sound of laughter filling his kitchen._


	4. Chapter 4

I clicked on the next slide. "As you can see, this motif of death and resurrection has been repeated in many different cultures, throughout the centuries. Next week we'll look at a couple of the most popular resurrection myths. Could somebody get the lights please?"

One of the students got up and walked over to the light switch by the door and a second later the overhead lights came on, flooding the room with the harsh light of fluorescence. I winced for a moment, waiting for my eyes to adjust.

I walked down the stairs of the lecture hall to the front desk and walked around it to pack up my notes. I glanced up and then saw a tall figure making his way down the steps toward me, fighting against the traffic of students who were leaving. No, scratch that, make that a huge figure. It was Sam Winchester.

"Hey," he said to me, when he came onto the stage. "Interesting lecture."

"Hi there. "I said. "Were you here the whole time?"

"No, I came in about 15 minutes ago. I'm supposed to pick you up and bring you to the hotel, your car is there and all fixed." He put his hand on the desk and tapped it with his fingers.

"Okay, can you wait a few minutes? I've got to drop some stuff off at my office."

"Sure, lead the way."

Sam followed me up the stairs and then walked next to me in the hallway, which was filled with students leaving their classrooms. I noticed several times that girls would glance at me and then do a double take when they saw Sam walking next to me.

I stopped at my office and opened my purse, searching for the key.

"Hey, Dr. O' Donnelly?" I heard someone say. I looked up from my purse.

"Hi, Laura." I said to the girl. "How's the paper going?"

She was staring up at Sam. She didn't say anything for several moments, and Sam cleared his throat and then glanced away.

"Oh." she said, blushing and looking down. "It's going well. I need to talk to you about some of the sources."

"Okay, well, call me to make an appointment, you know the drill." I told her.

"Okay." She looked at me and then up at Sam again. "Bye." she turned and walked away.

"You have an admirerer." I said,

"What?" Sam asked, then shook his head." No, I don't think so."

"Yeah, people were probably staring because you're so tall." I laughed. I looked down at my purse again. " _Where_ is that key?"

Sam took my forearm and held it up. On my wrist was a coiled plastic ring with a key dangling from it. "This it?" he asked with a half smile.

"Oh. Yeah." I smiled back at him sheepishly. " _Sorry!_ " I pulled it off my wrist and unlocked my door. Sam walked in behind me.

"Bobby was right." he said, shaking his head.

"What'd the old man say about me now?" I asked, putting a stack of papers on my desk.

"He said... that you were like an absent-minded professor." Sam looked at me, trying to gauge my reaction.

I laughed, and he exhaled and looked relieved. "Glad you're laughing, I thought you might get offended."

"That's not the first time someone has called me that!" I said. "And I'm not offended, it's just who I am, you know?" I opened my messenger bag and pulled out some folders. "I used to beat myself up about it, but then I realized I can't change it, I can only make myself miserable by trying to hold myself to standards I'll never reach, so I just...embraced the mess." I looked up at him. "You know? And it's all up here anyhow." I tapped the side of my head.

"That's very astute." he said.

"Well, it's better to embrace who you are than try and change into something you're not." I laughed again. "Some of the...less kind students call me Professor Space Cadet."

He frowned. "That's not very nice, or respectful."

I shrugged. "I don't let it bother me."

"When I was at college I never would have dreamed of calling a professor something like that."

"You went to college?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, for a couple years. Then I got...pulled back into the life." He smiled ruefully.

"Was that something you wanted to happen, or not?"

"It was...and unexpected event...and I realized I couldn't go back." His eyes got a sad, faraway look in them.

"Sorry to hear that." I said.

He shook himself after a moment."It worked itself out."

I heard a buzzing noise and realized it was my cell phone.

"Oh, shoot, I left it in the office!" I said, looking under the papers I had just piled on my desk.

"Yeah, Bobby called a couple times this morning and you didn't answer, so I came over to pick you up."

I found the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"There you are! I called your phone a bunch of times, Maeve! Your car's ready." Bobby said.

"Yeah, sorry, I left my phone in my office."

He scoffed.

"Sam is here now." I told him. "I'm just dropping stuff off and then we'll be over, okay?"

"All right. See ya soon."

I turned off my phone and dropped it into my purse, then picked up my messenger bag.

"All, righty, I think I've got everything." I looked around.

Sam laughed. "You _sure?_ "

I shrugged. "Let's go."

I locked the door and put the key in my purse, then zipped it closed. We walked out to the black car that Dean had been driving last night.

"This is a fancy car." I said.

"It was our Dad's." Sam told me. "Dean keeps it fixed up."

"It is really nice." I said.

"We've been all over the country in it. Dean and I used to sleep in the back seat when we were kids."

"That's kind of neat that you're still using it. A lot of good memories, I hope."

"For the most part." he said. He pulled into the parking lot of a hotel and I followed him to a door. He got out a key card and stuck it in the slot.

Bobby and Dean were both wearing suits.

"Well don't you two look handsome." I said. "What's the occasion?"

"We've got to go talk to the police and the coroner." Bobby said.

Sam opened the closet door and took out a suit that was on a hanger.

"Let me get changed and then we can go." he said, walking into the bathroom.

Bobby looked at me. "We're gonna go get lunch, want to come?"

"I can't go out to lunch with three good looking guys in suits, I'm underdressed!" I motioned to my outfit, which was a loose peasant blouse and a faded denim skirt.

Dean preened in front of the mirror. "I _do_ look good, don't I?" he asked confidently.

"And you're oh so modest." Bobby said, swatting the back of his head.

"Hey, watch the hair!" Dean said jokingly.

"While we're waiting..." Bobby said, coming over to me. "Dean, ya got her car key?"

"Oh. Yeah." Dean walked over to the table and picked it up, then came over to me and handed it to me. "You really need to take better care of your car. The engine was all full of crud, there was barely any oil in it, in fact all the fluids were low, the sparkplugs are almost shot, and the timing belt was loose."

I spread my hands out. "Sorry." I said. "I'm an academic, not a car person. My car just gets me from one place to the next." I felt a little stung because It felt like Dean was scolding me.

"Well, you should get it checked on the regular, or else it won't be taking you anywhere." Dean said.

"Okay, Dad." I said sarcastically. "There is a reason that they call me 'Professor Space Cadet' you know."

"Well, just try and remember, all right?" Bobby said gently. "Maybe schedule a tune up when ya pay a certain bill or somethin'." He looked at me. "I'd worry about ya havin' to get everywhere on foot here."

"Oh, it would be fine." I said. "This is a college town, everything is within walking distance, and they have an excellent public transit system."

"Well, I'd still worry about your safety." Bobby told me gruffly. He had sort of become like a guardian to me after my father had passed away a few years ago.

I looked at Dean. "Thanks for fixing my car." I said stiffly.

"No problem." Dean said, giving me a funny look.

The bathroom door opened and Sam came out, fiddling with his tie. "Ready?" he looked at me. " You coming with, Maeve?"

"Uh, sure." I said. "Where are we going?"

Dean wanted to go to a diner, saying something about "needing his road food." They followed me to a diner a couple blocks away from the campus. The parking lot was moderately full when we pulled in.

"This is a popular place with the college crowd, but it's an off time right now, so we should be able to get a table." I told them as we walked to the door. "Their breakfasts are great, and they have pretty good pie as well. Stay away from the chicken-fried steak though, it's usually gristly."

"Good to know." Dean smiled at me. "I'm a cheesebuger and fries kinda guy myself."

A waitress came over and led us to a table. As we walked past the booths I saw several students that I recognized, and most of them looked at us.

"Hi Dr. O' Donnelly!" someone called out, and then I heard laughing from the booth.

"Hi there." I called over my shoulder.

I sat next to Sam and Bobby sat across from me.

"So what's the plan after you talk to people today?" I asked, looking at Sam and Dean.

"Depends what evidence we get from them." Dean said.

"And we keep looking in the news for any more weird cases." Sam said. "It's unfortunately a waiting game. We need to gather more evidence."

"I should be able to look stuff up tonight." I said. "I don't have a class tomorrow, so I have a little bit of a break." I looked at all three of them. "And I have another pie left over from yesterday, it's not fresh, but ya know, it's pie."

"Aw, Maeve, are you inviting us over?" Bobby teased.

I shrugged, feeling embarrassed. "Sure, why not?" I said. "We can do research together."

"Let's see where we are after our meetings." Sam said.

The waitress came over and gave us menus. "What can I get you to drink?" she asked.

"Hot tea, please." I said.

Dean and Bobby ordered soda and Sam ordered water.

Dean looked at me. "Why do you always order hot tea? I thought you were a coffee drinker."

"I like tea after I teach, my throat gets sore from all the talking, and it soothes my throat." I told him.

He nodded and opened his menu. We were quiet as we decided what to eat.

A shadow fell over the table and we all looked up. One of my colleagues stood there, looking down at us. He looked at the men I was sitting with and I saw his brows draw together in confusion momentarily- I usually was alone.

"Maeve, I wanted to remind you the the quarterly meeting is coming up later this week."

"Thanks Irv." I said. "Friday night, right?"

"Yes, we'll be at my place, BYOB optional..." he leaned forward, craning his neck to look at Sam next to me.

"Should I bring any food?" I asked him.

"Well, you know your baking is always welcome." Irv smiled. He looked over at Bobby and held out his hand. "Irv Glassman. Head of Humanities and Philosophy professor."

"Bobby Singer." Bobby shook his hand. "I'm a family friend of Maeve's."

"Oh..." Irv frowned a little, clearly wanting to ask why I was sitting at a table with three well- dressed men.

"They're in town for a visit." I said. "I'll see you Friday. Seven o'clock?"

"Right. See you then." Irv stood there a moment longer, then turned and walked away.

I put my hand over my eyes for a moment. "Oh, God..." I groaned.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"The rumor mill is going to be doing overtime with this!"

"With what?" Sam asked, looking over at me.

"I'm a pretty solitary person. All of a sudden I'm sitting in a diner with three guys in suits- you don't know how gossipy the academic world is!" I looked at Bobby. "Couldn't you tell, he was just dying to ask about all three of you."

"I say, give 'em a show. Put your arm around her and kiss her, Sam. Really get the rumor mill going!" Dean grinned at me.

"Are you insane?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm never going to hear the end of it as it is!"

"Well, if they're that gossipy, they deserve to have their heads messed with." Dean declared.

"You've clearly never been in a meeting with a bunch of bored professors who have nothing better to do than tear apart each other's personal lives and make assumptions about each other."

"Sounds kinda fun. I could really do some damage there." Dean smirked.

"You are impossible! Remind me never to invite you to any sort of meeting!"

"So, what are y'all going to eat?" Bobby asked, trying to change the subject.

"How is the Greek salad, Maeve?" Sam asked, glancing at me.

"I don't know, I've never gotten it, but the greens are always fresh here." I told him. I had a sudden flash of memory, of him being a toddler and holding him on my lap, giving him a bottle.

"What?" he said, after I kept looking at him.

I blinked and shook my head. "I don't know, I just had this memory of you sitting on my lap, and holding a bottle for you." I looked across the table at Bobby, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, you loved giving him his bedtime milk. Drove this one crazy." he jerked his thumb at Dean.

"What?" Dean said. "It was my job to take care of Sammy, no one else's."

"Yeah, and you took your job pretty seriously. But Maeve didn't care, she just barged right in and took over. And boy, you were not happy about it."

"I don't remember very much, mostly playing with Sam." I said, looking at him again. "It's hard to believe that you were once small enough that I could hold you on my lap!" I laughed.

"Sam _is_ a moose." Dean said.

"Be nice, Dean!" I chided.

"What, I'm speaking the truth here."

"How about _this_ truth- you're _still_ the obnoxious older brother!" I leaned forward and looked at him. Bobby and Sam laughed as Dean opened and closed his mouth.

"She's got you there, Dean!" Bobby said.

The waitress walked up. "Ready to order?" she asked.

My phone rang and I answered it.

"Dr. O'Donnelly, this is Lauren, I've got one of your students here and she says she needs to have an emergency meeting with you right now."

I knew of a Lauren, she was one of the secretaries of the Humanities Department.

"Well, she needs to make an appointment." I said.

"This student is insisting, I'm sorry, she says it's urgent. She has to catch a train tonight, there's a family emergency and she wants to see you before she leaves."

I sighed. "All right. I'll be there in a few minutes." I said. I disconnected the call and put my phone in my purse.

"Sorry guys, I've got to go." I said regretfully. "Call me after your meeting." I got out of the booth and went out to the car.

My office door was slightly open, which was odd. I pushed it open and stepped in, turning my head to see if someone was there in the office-

Something dark came down over my vision and I realized that someone was behind me and they had put a cloth bag over my head. I felt hands grip my upper arms from behind and then felt a pinch in my bicep, and then I was overwhelmed with dizziness and everything went black.


End file.
